Closed-conduit electric railway



(No Model.)

O. B. BENTON. vCLOSED GONDUVIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY. No. 508,199. Patented NOV. 7. 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.V

O'IIS B. BENTON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

oLosED-ooNDu IT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part ef Letters Patent Ne. 508,199, dated Nerember 7, 1893.

Application med Mey 31, 1893. serai No; 476,172. H(ne model.)

To all whom t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, Oris B. BENTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, havev invented Vcertain new and useful Improvements in Electric Oonduits for Tramways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to that class of electrie conduits for tramways which has a prif mary or main undergroundA conductor that is put in electric touch with a secondary conductor divided into sections insulated from one another, the object being among other things to improve and simplify such conduits so that they may be not only cheaper of construction and easier to get at for repairs,but also that they may be applied to railways where the ties are placed in the ordinary manner, crosswise of the track, and the system thus be rendered available` and practicable to varying conditions of road-beds. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure'l is a longitudinal central` sectional elevation of a conduit and its attachments and' connections as it appears in one form of myinven tion in a road using common cross ties, the trolleys carriedby thecarsand the service conductor being shown above. Fig. 2 is a cross section of theconstruction shownjin Fig. 1 on a line corresponding to m, w, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a section of the main pipe shown in cross section Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of contact making mechanism, and Figs. 5 and 6 together illustrate still another modication, as hereinafter more fully described. Y

In my invention the main conductor B is placed in a tube A corresponding to a'n ordinary gas or water main six inches in diameter, or thereabout, which pipe or tube may be lined, if desired, with any insulating substance to assist in keeping out moisture On `rbe made in one piece.

:electric contact with the pip/e A. The main pipe or tube Ais'laid lengthwise of the track,

'and if between the rails thereof, may be immediately below the ties.

In the top of the pipe between the ties is a hole of suitable size, say three inches in diameter, more or less. Into `this hole is screwed what may be a sectiontor piece of gas pipe -3-, although in some instances the parts A and -3- might These short pipes project Afrom the main pipe rup above the 'ties and form small towers reaching to within several inches of the surface of the ground. At least one of these towers is inserted between each tie and there maybe two, if preferred. The towers also may be lined with insulating material, if desired, to avoid possible loss of current. The top of each tower is covered closely with a diaphragm vof rubber, leather, or other suitable water and dirt excluding material, orthe cover kmay be of corrugated steel, in which case it must be fastened to a gutta-percha or like rim attached to the tower so as to be, insulated therefrom. Directly above theline of the towers is the boxing or channel O, having a central longitudinal slot lfor the trolley or Contact making arm 4- to run in.

In each ofothe tubes f3 is arranged a contact rod -5,-, which extends through the diaphragm 6+ to'which it is affixed, and into position above to lcontact with service wire y7, and below to contact with main feed wire -B-, when contact is made. Other- Wise, and normally, the rod -5 will be about an inch from the said main wire and with the circuit at that point wholly broken. The said rod -5- is stayed by insulating washers -9- and -10- in the tower or tube, so as to prevent coming into touch therewith, and its lower end is spread somewhat so as to make certain and effectual contact with the main conductor when pressed down upon it. The upper end of this contact rod stands immediately beneath the slot in the box or channel C, so as to be in line with the traveling contact `maker on the car, and a suitable spring -11- between the washers -9- and -10- keeps the rod up out of touch with l l l l l main wire -B-. The washer -9- is fixed to the tower and the washer -10- to said rod, and the upper end of the rod -5 is fixed to the service wire -7-. When the rod is pressed down from above the spring is thereby compressed on the lower washer, the upper washer moving up and down in the tower while the lower remains stationary.

Immediately under the slot and on the tops of the rods -5- is the secondary or service wire -7-. This wire is divided into sections between the towers, and the sections are insulated from each other at -aby any suitable means which serves also as a joint or connection. The trolley wheels l2 are fixed to bent arm -4-, and as the trolley passes along this secondary conductor, pressing down the contact rods one after another into contact with the main conductor, the current is collected to the car motor. Of course a device, as a shoe, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or their equivalent, could be placed on the bottom of a car, which would pass along over the exposed tops of the contact rods as the car moved and collect the current from the rods themselves direct to the car motor and thus dispense with the secondary or service wire. In order to get a sufficiently continuous current from a secondary conductor two or more trolley wheels are required, one following the other at the proper distance, and thus bridging the insulating joints and avoiding hashing and burning out at these points.

To entirely prevent sparking in making and breaking the contacts on the main wire, I provide two dead trolley wheels -13- and 14, one of which goes before and the other after the conducting trolley. The dead trolley wheels are of insulated material and make no electrical connections whatever,but serve to press the parts into contact so as to be together when the conducting trolley comes along. Thus, the one in advance serves to depress the contact rod into mechanical touch with the main conductor before the trolley reaches that section of the service wire, and the dead trolley in the rear serves likewise to hold the rod down until the conducting trolley wheels have passed over onto the next section of the service wire, after which contact can be broken without sparking. In case a secondary conductor as above described is not used in taking oifthe current from the contact rods, but instead a fixed rail or shoe l5 Fig. 4, I make the two ends 16, 16 of such rail or shoe of insulated material to answer the same purposes as a dead trolley wheel, the said rod being thereby held in mechanical contact with the main until after the current has ceased to ow.

The main pipe I have described above could be placed centrallybetween adouble tracked railway and withsmall towers extending to both sides under a rail and up between the ties, be operated as in the manner described.

The conduit or tube is reached for inspection and repairs by removing the towers where needed. This would not interfere with the operation of the rest of the line, and makes all parts and wires accessible at any time.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The conduit for the feed wire, the service boxing or channel, and the towers connecting said conduit and boxing, in combination with insulated iiexible caps closely covering the tops of said towers, and contact makers in the towers passing through said caps and afxed thereto, substantially as described.

2. In an electric system as described, a movable contact maker, a current conveyer counected with the car, and insulated means before and behind said conveyer to depress said contact maker into contact, substantially as described.

3. In a system as described, the feed wire and the contact rods, a current conveying device connected with the car, and devices before and behind said current conveying device to depress said rods before and after electrical contact is made therewith, substantially as described.

Witness my hand to the foregoing specilication this 19th day of May, 1893.

OTIS B. BENTGN. Witnesses:

H. T. FISHER, GEORGIA SCHAEFFER. 

